Pressure
by Bluemoon375
Summary: Awaking separated from one another deep in the island's mine, Sabrina faces the difficult decision of succumbing into her typical sense of fear or facing the numerous odds against her in order to save herself and Mark. Will she shine through or crack under the pressure? A short Sabrina-centric three-shot.
1. Alone

Darkness.

Darkness was all that had waited to greet Sabrina as her eyes finally began to slowly flutter open. She awoke to find herself laid out against the cold rocky surface of what she could only assume was one of the deeper levels of the mines. The jagged debris that sat scattered across the unforgiving earth poked up through her dress and lightly brushed up against her. It wasn't enough to pierce her skin but certainly enough to cause more than a mild discomfort.

" _How long have I been out?"_ She thought to herself while calling upon what felt like all of her remaining strength in order to just slightly lift her chin off the ground. She tried to survey the area around her but everywhere revealed the same dark abyss. Gently laying her cheek down against the cold dirt she began to take a series of deep breaths. The last thing she could remember was watching as Mark smashed his giant hammer down upon yet another hodgepodge of minerals they had come across in the mountain's mine before it seemed as though the earth had attempted to swallow them up whole. As the boulder burst into pieces the entire ground decided to mimic it and collapsed beneath their feet, sucking them both down into the very depths of its caverns. During the plummet it felt to her as though time was almost at a standstill but now she could hardly recall any details of the chaotic mess. She could vaguely recall how in the initial seconds of the incident it seemed as though Mark had tried to reach for her but…

" _MARK!"_

Sabrina's eyes widened as a rush of energy quickly overtook her. "M-M-M-Mark?"

She planted her hands on the ground at her sides and began to try and lift herself up but a surge of pain began to throb from the wrist of her right arm causing her to collapse yet again. In any other instance this would have likely been the point at which she would simply break down and admit defeat but her sense of determination appeared to be working overtime in full force, if only for the moment. Focusing her mind on her effort to raise herself off the ground and not her injured wrist she swiftly boosted herself up off the floor and scooted up to her knees.

"Mark?" She called out once more as she brought her aching arm into her lap and held it.

She received an answer this time, but it was only her own words as they echoed through the cavern.

"M-Mark?" She asked for a third time, her voice now almost reduced to a whimper.

Still no reply.

Her eyes quickly wandered about the darkness once she noticed her breathing rate had begun to steadily increase. It seemed that fear was beginning to rapidly set in. A glimmer of hope came to her from above she spotted the faint light of one of the lanterns that hung from ceilings of the mine's initial levels, yet it just as quickly drained away when she realized how far away it must actually be. Mark had already taken her down a good distance below the official mining levels and it was anyone's guess as to how far they had managed to fall. It seemed so small and blurry, like a twinkling star in the night sky.

" _Wait… why is it so…?"_

Sabrina temporarily released her throbbing wrist and slowly brought her hand up to her face, trying her hardest to ignore how violently it trembled with dreaded anticipation as she did so. Sure enough, just as she had feared her fingers were able to gently stroke beneath her eyes unobstructed. The forces that be appeared to have decided that trapping her alone in the mines wasn't terrible enough on its own but that she had to be essentially blind as well.

"No... no, no, no, no, no, no, no..." She started to stammer to herself relentlessly as she leaned forward and frantically began to comb the ground nearby. Her glasses had to be around somewhere, they just had to be. Eventually as she crawled across the floor her fingers brushed up against something soft amongst the rubble from the ceiling above. It definitely wasn't her glasses but it was too unnatural to be something from the mines. With all her might she gripped it with her good hand and gave it a decent tug to remove it from the debris. Raising it up to the pale light from above revealed the fuzzy shape of a blue and white hat, Mark's hat.

It took all of her willpower to try and remain calm as her attention returned to where she had found it. "M-M-Mark…?" She uttered quietly.

She dropped the hat into her lap and reluctantly reached back out into the mess, hoping with all her heart that he wasn't trapped beneath it. When her brief search came up empty she wasn't sure if she should be relieved that there was a chance he hadn't been crushed to death or afraid at the fact that it was looking more and more likely that they were possibly floors apart from one another.

She brought his hat close to her chest and hugged it against herself in vain attempt to relax as she raised her head up. "Mark!" She cried out. "M-Mark, w-where are y-you!"

When only her echo called back once more she tightened her grip around herself and prepared for the worst.

* * *

 _A/N: Writers block has a tight grip on me in regards to TBaI so I thought a short story regarding Sabrina and courage would be an interesting way to get the creative gears going.  
_


	2. Descent

Without so much as a clue as to how long the drop down had knocked her out Sabrina wasn't sure if she was too "well rested" to fall asleep or it was how stress seemed to be poised to attack her at all angles that kept her up. Having managed to drag herself over to one of the cavern's walls she hoped to try and sleep away this awful nightmare but any attempt seemed futile as her entire body screamed out in pain. As she continued to clutch Mark's hat against her chest her thoughts turned to the other islanders on the surface. Surely enough time had passed by now that someone back on the surface had noticed their prolonged absence and started organizing a search, her father assuredly would at least when he'd return home and find that she wasn't there for once.

" _Father…"_ She solemnly thought to herself as tightened her grip around her body. It was true that he always been a bit overprotective of her at times but even she couldn't blame him. Her entire life she had always come off as a shy and fragile girl and with the loss of her mother he was only doing his best to protect what mattered most to him.

Guilt began to flood over her as she remembered why she had ventured out in the mines in the first place. With his birthday in just a few short days she hoped to surprise him by retrieving his favorite gemstone, a beautiful pink diamond, from the depths of the mines but now just being able to make it home would be more than enough. Tears formed in her eyes as he hugged Mark's hat tightly and tried once more to call for him.

"MARK!" She cried. "Mark, please… answer me!"

Her heart sank as her words began to bounce around the walls unaccompanied by a reply before shortly fading away into silence. An emotional breakdown felt imminent but her sense of anguish was quickly dispelled by the sound of a familiar voice.

"Sabrina…?" It echoed. "Is that you?"

She jumped onto her knees and leaned herself forward, keeping her iron grip around Mark's hat as she did so. "Mark! Is that You?...Where are you?"

"Oh thank the Goddess you're alright. I... I'm down here… I think…" He answered back.

Amidst the pebbles around her Sabrina started to slowly crawl away from spot besides the wall. "Be-Below me…?"

"Hang on!" He called back before taking a pause. She hoped that he was implying that he would soon be finding his way to her but after a moment a bright ray of light erupted from the ground on the other side of the chamber.

Scrambling to her feet, she quickly scurried across the room over to the hole the light emerged from. As she came closer to the opening the ground released a low rumble but slowing her pace seemed to calm it down. Besides the gaping hole she fell back down to her knees and carefully peered down into the depths to spot a faint yellow and brown mesh surrounding the source of the light. It was Mark.

Once more tears began to fill her eyes only this time they were ones of happiness and not horror. "M-Mark, you're okay! I've been calling you for so long… I-I thought you might have… I'm just so glad you're safe."

"I'm sorry if I made you worry, I... I don't know how long I was out for. I only just came to…" He shouted up to her before switching his tone to something more serious. "Sabrina I… I need you to come down here…"

"D-Down…? T-To you…?" She asked, her voice quivering with fear.

"Please… I'm…" She could faintly hear him take a deep breath. "I'm stuck…"

Sabrina gasped as the light swiftly bounced away her eyes and shifted down towards the area besides him in order to expose a giant blob of brown. It must have been a boulder or debris pinning him down.

"Oh my Goddess, Mark! Are you hurt?" She cried.

There was a noticeable pause before he answered. "No… no… I'm fine but… I-I really need your help."

"Mark I… I… I can't…" She whimpered while bringing his hat over her heart. "I can't see anything… I lost my glasses… and… and… I'm scared…" She whispered.

"Sabrina please! I can't get out of here unless you help me!" He shouted back.

She offered no reply at the risk of fully breaking down. Being as blind as a bat left her in no condition to try and navigate the few floors between them in search of stairs leading below.

"Sabrina?" He asked.

"I can't Mark… I can't…" She repeated.

"Please! It hurts... I need you to help." He told her.

Deep down she knew she had to at least try to reach him. He was clearly in no condition to free himself and she knew that she lacked the ability to just leave him down below to suffer.

She took a deep breath before shouting back down in direction of his light. "A-Alright… I-I-I'll t-t-try."

She began to slide herself back away from the chasm before he called out to her again.

"Sabrina, wait!" He shouted.

Quietly she returned to her spot over the edge.

"I'm gonna try to toss you my flashlight." He explained. "I don't know how much help it'll be if you lost your glasses but it's worth a shot."

"How am I supposed to catch it?" She asked. "I won't see it coming…"

He paused for a moment. "I'll try and throw it besides you. Hopefully it doesn't break… or miss… Are you ready?"

She hesitated as well before answering. "I… I'm ready…" She nodded.

Dropping his hat into her lap she extended her arms out over the pit as a precaution and closed one of her eyes while looking slightly off to the side. "R-Ready…"

"Here goes nothing." She heard him call out.

After about a second the once stationary light launched into the air and swirled around in a chaotic fashion. As it drew near she slowly turned her view towards it and watched as it appeared as though it wouldn't make it. Frantically she reached her out in an attempt to snag it but only succeeded in knocking Mark's hat into the abyss as the flashlight just barely grazed the side of her head and landed a short distance behind her. In addition, shifting her weight so close to the edge caused the ground below her to once more groan as if it was about to give way resulting in her swiftly rising to her feet and scampering away from her spot just as it plummeted into the pit.

"Sabrina! Are you alright!" Mark shouted with concern.

Up above Sabrina laid on the ground as she tightly gripped the flashlight, her heart was practically running laps throughout her body. "I… I got it."

"Great! …Please… hurry…" He replied before going silent.

Sabrina continued to lie across the floor for a moment as she slowed her breathing down to calm herself. Once the sound of her pounding heart had left her ears she gradually rose to her feet and shined the flashlight around to try and find the stairs down. The entire room lit up appeared to her as a giant collage of splotches colored various shades of grey but eventually she came across a small gaping hole of black just besides where she had received the flashlight from.

That had to be it.

Slowly she began to drag her feet carefully across the uneasy floor in an effort to not disturb it enough to collapse yet again. At the base of the second hole she shined the light down and felt a gush of relief when the outline of the blur she saw appeared to be a staircase of sorts. Taking each step as though it were carefully planned she began her slow decent downwards. In spite of the pain it cause her right hand remained gripped against the wall at her side so she might be able to catch herself in the event of another cave in but the steps beneath her refused to make even a peep. Once at the bottom she paused for a moment to quiet down her agitated heart. Scanning the floor she spotted the gaping crater that Mark had fallen down and approached it with caution.

"Mark…?" She asked as she shined the light down.

From her new position his form was much clearer. It was still fuzzy and a basic mesh of colors, but there was more to him this time. She couldn't see it but he was smiling as the light shown down on him.

"You're almost there Sabrina. It's just another floor." He told her.

Once more a great sense of relief cast over her. Just a few moments ago she had believed that there was still quite a ways to go when reality was she was already halfway there.

"Don't worry!" She shouted back with a hint of confidence in her voice. "I'll be there soon."

Her moment of triumph was soon short lived as a burst of pain started to stem from her injured wrist. With a frail yelp in pain and without a second thought she dropped the flashlight from her grip and fell to her knees.

"No!" She cried out as her eyes followed it down into the darkness.

It bounced about on the floor below before rolling off into the region beneath her, out of view.

"Sabrina! What happened?" Mark asked.

"M-My wrist…" She sobbed in defeat. "Argh, I'm so stupid… I'm sorry Mark… I didn't mean to… I'm so stupid…"

"It's alright Sabrina, it's gonna be okay!" He called back. "The light's shining on the stairs actually, they should be right behind you."

Sabrina took a moment to try and compose herself before slowly looking back. Off against the wall in the distance she could see a small speck of light coming up from the floor like the rising sun.

"I-I think I see it." She said. "I'm coming Mark… I'm coming…"

Without a clue as to what lied between her and the stairs across from her she hesitated for a moment before commencing a slow crawl towards the light. Though it was possible that Mark was beginning to fall in dire need of help the growing sense of fear inside her combined with the absolute need for caution at this point forbid her from moving any faster. Trapped far beneath the surface in what might as well be a minefield of rockslides cast in eternal darkness was the last place she wanted to start being reckless.

Once beside the source of the light she gazed down to again spot the faint outline of what looked to be steps and turned herself around. Carefully she began to slide herself down the steps with extreme caution. In her mind it was the safest way to descend. When she managed to reach the bottom without so much as a hitch she breathed a sigh of exhaustion and practically hugged the ground with relief. A pained grunt from Mark brought her focus back to the task at hand.

Carefully, she climbed to her feet and scurried over the flashlight and retrieved it before focusing it upon Mark in front of her, letting out a loud audible gasp when she saw his current state. He was seated upright on the floor with a handful of moderately sized boulders resting atop his legs, a tiny stream of crimson red trailing out from underneath them. Beside him laid his open backpack, likely from when he had managed to retrieve his flashlight.

"Mark!" She cried as she ran over and embraced him.

He wrapped an arm around her and gently stroked her back. "You made it, I knew you could do it."

She huddled herself closer to him to try and conceal her tears, though her voice easily betrayed her actions. "Mark, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"

"It's alright Sabrina, I'll be fine. I just need you to help me get out of this mess." He replied.

She detached herself from him and wiped her eyes clean before focusing her attention on his legs. "R-Right."

They both gave one another a half smile and nodded before she shifted herself off to the side.

"I'll try to help as best I can." He told her as he placed his hands against the bottom rock. "Just push as hard as you can when I say go."

She nodded.

"Alright… now." He commanded.

With strength she didn't even know she possessed Sabrina pushed with all her might and with Mark's combined effort the larger rock quickly rolled off of his legs in no time. Those few that remained were able to be clear on their own with little work. Had she been more attentive during the process Sabrina might have taken not of how not once during the whole process did Mark flinch in response to any of the stress his legs might have experienced.

Focusing the light on his legs she could clearly see that the puddle she spotted early was indeed blood that had seeped out of injuries and hung her head in shame.

"I'm so sorry Mark…" She uttered quietly.

"It's okay, I'm… fine now." He replied uneasily.

Upon closer inspection she noticed how his right leg appeared to almost be literally bent out of shape.

"Mark…" She began slowly, a grave hint of horror in her tone. "How… how are you not in pain right now…?

He ashamedly looked away from her and took a deep breath. "Sabrina I… I can't… I can't feel anything…" Her eyes widened as he heard her gasp. "In my legs…"

The light produced from the flashlight between them transformed the tears in her eyes into sparkles as she threw herself into him.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry… I'm sorry Mark…" She repeated. "This is all my fault! I should have never asked you to come out here! I should have just hid at home as usual! I-I should have…"

She found herself cut off both by her lack of words and his tightening embrace.

"Everything's going to be alright. I don't blame you for any of this." He told her. "It was my choice to come down here and help you, that cave-in was no one's fault. Right now we just have to focus on how we're both okay. Can you do that? For me?"

She continued to cry for a moment before gently pulling herself away and silently staring him in the eyes. She wanted to smile but guilt still managed to have an iron grip on her emotions.

"I know you can do it." He added. "You've already managed to make it all the way down here to me. I know you can be braver for just a little longer."

The edges of her lips began to slowly tip upwards. He was right. Just the other week if you had told her that she'd be able to not only survive a cave-in but rescue an injured friend trapped in the darkness she'd have thought you were nuts and yet here she was. If she could brave the darkness then surely she could muster up the courage to simply remain calm.

"You're right." She smiled. "I can do this."


	3. Ascent

The concept of time, at least in regards to its passage, appeared to be far removed from the depths of the cold cavern. Though they had come to the mutual agreement of waiting at the bottom of the shaft in hopes of an eventual rescue fear wasn't intent on leaving Sabrina's side so easily. Over the course what could have been either minutes or possibly hours her reemerging sense of anxiety was becoming more and more apparent to Mark. He could gradually feel her body begin to shake as she leaned herself against him for support, both moral and literal as it would appear.

With a sigh his eyes wandered down to the red bandana wrapped just above his left kneecap as he started to reapply pressure to the region. "Anytime now."

Sabrina began to practically constrict her legs like a snake as her arms wrapped tighter around them. "Y-Yeah… anytime now…"

"You don't have to worry so much Sabrina, we're going to get out of here in one piece." He sighed. "Just you wait and see."

He momentarily flinched when he realized his rather poor choice of words but her impaired vision seemed to be far down her ongoing list of complications.

Virtually in unison she let out a quiet whimper just as her stomach began to growl.

"I just hope someone finds us soon… it's been so long since I've eaten…" She said softly.

Mark grabbed ahold of the flashlight that sat between them and cast the light inside of his bag while he rummaged through it.

"Well, I think I got them in here somewhe- here we are!" He exclaimed as he produced a small bundle of three bananas from the backpack. "Chelsea gave these to me the other day when I stopped by. They should be fresh and luckily it doesn't look like they were damaged in the fall."

He returned the flashlight to its place between them before breaking off one of the banana's from the stem before handing it off to her. She removed it from his hands and stared at it.

"Mark, I… I can't..." She said while attempting to return it. "You need all the strength you can get..."

To her surprise he gave a quiet laugh and ignored her effort. "Well it's not like I'm going to be going anywhere anytime soon… without help at least. Please, I insist."

The look in his eyes indicated that he wasn't going to take no for an answer anytime soon and she complied by starting to peel it open. "I guess your right…"

In between short bites she glanced down at his legs and once finished let out a heavy sigh.

"M-Mark…?" She began quietly. "Why… why didn't you tell me about your legs earlier…?"

"I…" He took a deep breath. "I didn't want you to worry… you sounded scared enough as is when I first asked you to come down here… I didn't want you to be any more worried than you already were." He turned and faced her with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, I should have told you from the start but…"

"No… I get it." She interrupted as she re-wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin atop her knees. "I know I'm a…" She took a brief pause as the quickened breaths she began to take seemed to indicate she was on the verge of tears once more. " _coward…_ I probably would have just made things worse if I had known…"

She tried to bury her eyes into her legs but was brought back as Mark's hand landed gently on her shoulder.

"You're not a coward Sabrina, look at you. You managed to make it all the way down here and help me remember? That took courage, courage you must have had before." He told her.

She gave him a half-hearted smile before turning away yet again. "T-Thank you… but if that were the case then why am I always so afraid to do anything…? I'm too afraid to go out and talk to people… to do things on my own… to even leave my own house… Why Mark, why…?"

"I… I don't know why but what matters now is that you know that you don't always have to be living in fear." He answered. "You know you can be brave, you proved it down here. You just have to remember that once we get out of her. I know you have what it takes."

The source of her tears once again switched over to a happier supply as she faced him with a smile. "Do you really mean that…?"

He smiled back. "Of cour-"

Their tender moment was then abruptly interrupted by a loud echoing rumble throughout the cavern as the ground violently began to shake. Without delay Sabrina quickly threw herself into Mark's arms and clutched his clothing as tight as she could.

"W-W-What's h-h-happening?" She stuttered as her voice carried the same shaking sensation as the ground.

"I-I d-don't know!" He shouted back as he tightened his grip on her.

Just as quickly as it began the tremor died down leaving the pair's state of mind as its only causality.

Sabrina refused to loosen her grasp on his shirt as her heart pounded against his chest.

"This place is getting unstable…" Mark thought aloud.

Sabrina remained silent, unsure if speaking her mind would only serve to quicken her return to cowardice.

He faced her and appeared to be hesitant about what he was about to say next. "We can't wait down here anymore Sabrina, we have to get out of here."

That familiar sense of horror cast over her as she stared right back at him, her eyes trembling faster than her body. "W-What…? B-But we can't..."

"We have to." He barked at her while gripping her arms as a dreadful sense of urgency emitted from his voice. "This place sounds like it can completely collapse at any second. Do you really want to be all the way down here when it happens?"

"M-M-M-Mark…" She whimpered.

"We have to Sabrina, there's no other way." He said in a grave voice.

He knew that his severe change in attitude was likely only scaring her more but given that the circumstances were quickly shifting to life or death he wasn't left with much of a choice.

Her gaze shifted up to the tiny fragment of light that sat above. "B-But how? It's so high up..." Her focus shifted to his injuries. "A-And you're legs…"

"You're going to have to carry me, drag me even if you have to, whatever it takes in order to get out of here." He answered.

Her mind and eyes started to race all over the place as the severity of the situation slowly became apparent to her.

"Please Sabrina…" He spoke when she offered no response, his tone much softer. "We have to… Just think about Regis and everyone else back on the surface… We have to get back to them…"

She tried her hardest to look at him with tear filled eyes that obstructed her already imperfect vision.

"If you were able to make it down here by yourself then we can definitely make it back up together." He finished.

His words gave her a great deal of comfort. It was true, if she had been able to successfully descend the mine without any direct aid then what was stopping her from climbing back up with his help. She thought back to his earlier words about courage and how it wasn't just something she'd recently attained. It was something that had been sitting dormant in her all this time and if she could just tap into it for just a little longer maybe she could keep it.

"A-Alright." She said with a partial smile. It indicated to him that while her mind wasn't fully ready to undergo this task she wasn't going to let it keep her from trying to prove herself to yet again.

Zipping up his backpack he reequipped it onto his back as she stood up beside him.

"Alright, I can't really help with any of the walking so I'll be in charge of the flashlight for now." He said before extending an arm out to her.

She crouched down and grabbed ahold of it before wrapping it around the back of her next. She then wrapped her arm around his body and with all her might pulled him up to his feet. His feet delicately dangled against the surface of the shaft as she paused momentarily to catch her breath.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I… I'm fine." She grunted as she lifted him up just a smidge more. "I got you."

His partial smile was barely visible to her as he cast the light forward. "Alright, I guess I'm ready when you are."

He felt through his arm as she nodded her head and began to shine the light throughout the chamber, stopping once he spotted the staircase heading up.

"That way." He noted.

She turned towards the direction of the light and once her eyes deciphered what exactly she was looking at she began to slowly shuffle across the cavern floor. While she was grateful that there weren't any gapping craters to avoid on this level she worried about whether dragging Mark's legs against the rough surface was causing any further distress to his body. Once at the base of the stairs she hesitated as they appeared to almost extend upwards forever.

"Are… are you sure you're going to be okay with this?" She asked.

He looked down at his already banged up legs and then up at the jagged steps leading above. "Well, it's not like I'm going to feel any of it." He responded as she gave a worried sigh.

With a deep breath she carefully raised her right foot up and firmly planted it atop the first step. Had Mark been just a tad lighter the entire task might have been much easier for her but it was hardly an appropriate time for her to voice such concerns. Taking another step upwards she felt as his body began to slip out of her grasp and quickly hoisted him back up with all her might before continuing. She had never felt this determined before in her life and her confidence seemed to receive a boost with each successful step conquered. Yet, at the same time she could feel as her already limited strength was draining at a rapid pace. Her small frame wasn't meant to try and support someone of Mark's weight in conditions like this for long.

Once they finally reached the top of the stairs Sabrina set Mark besides the wall and slowly slide down the bumpy surface besides him.

"Tired?" He asked.

She gripped her wounded wrist and sighed. "Yeah… just a bit."

Mark's attention drew up towards the light glimmering from above, it seemed hardly any closer. At the rate they were set to go it was bound to take them forever to reach it, not even considering any possible they'd likely take similar to where they were at now.

His eyes came back over to Sabrina as she slightly winced while appling pressure to her joint. "Something wrong?"

"It's just my wrist." She complained. "I think I hurt it back when I first fell down..."

He sighed as he picked up a nearby pebble and tossed it into the darkness. "It wasn't easy for you to get us up here was it?"

"Well… no." She answered as she shook her head. "If, if I just rest for a moment though… I should be able to make it up the next floor at least."

"Look, Sabrina… at this rate it's going to take us hours to probably just get halfway up to the surface…" He took another noticeable pause between his next few words. "I… I think it'd be best if you just went it alone…"

"W-WHAT?" She gasped. "You can't possibly mean for me to just leave you here? What if something happens Mark? What if-"

He cut her off. "I'm just holding you back right now Sabrina, I'm of no use to you." He presented the flashlight to her. "If you go by yourself you can get out of here and find help faster."

Her hand trembled as much as the ground had earlier as she slowly reached for the light in his hands. She withdrew her hand slightly at a few instances but nonetheless took it from him in the end. "Mark… are… are you sure…?"

"It's our best option right now." He nodded.

She rapidly shook her head. "No, no… I mean… are you sure… that you… that you want to trust _me_ with this…?"

He nodded his head once more. "I've already trusted you once today and you pulled through better than anyone else could. Besides, it's not like I have a shot of making it up there by myself. You can do it Sabrina, I believe in you."

She tightened her hands grip on the flashlight as she slowly guided it towards her heart, tears ready to burst from her eyes. For once in her life somebody actually believed in her to accomplish something. This was much more than the times her father had trusted her to complete some small work task or retrieve something for him. Someone was placing their life in her hands with complete confidence. Confidence that she was beginning to truly see she possessed.

"I… I… I won't let you down Mark." She proclaimed assertively.

He smiled as he leaned back against the wall. "Be careful up there Sabrina. Just remember, I'll be right here cheering you on the whole way."

"Don't you worry," She smiled back. "I'll… I'll be back for you... with help... I promise."

With another smile as his only response she gave him a parting nodded and turned around to the darkness behind her. Dispelling it with the flashlight in hand she relocated the stairs she had descended earlier and gradually began to make her way towards them, taking careful steps as to not disturb the outer rim of the pit nearby. Once she stood at the base of the stairs she shined the light upwards and felt as her heart momentarily sank when the reality of the situation became apparent. Back besides Mark the task of ascending the mine didn't sound difficult at all but that could easily be blamed on the whirlwind of emotions she was caught up in. Gazing up at the jumbled stairs through blurred eyes the length of the climb was becoming more apparent. Her body took a brief step back at the sight in fear but courage came rushing to her side as she glanced back towards Mark. Her mind replayed his words that placed belief in her and without even knowing it she found herself up on the first step.

There was no way she could give up already, not this early on.

From his spot against the wall Mark watched carefully as Sabrina little by little continued to make her way up the stairs. His eyes slowly flickering shut.

"Right here Sabrina… I'll… I'll be right here waiting…"

* * *

Now atop the stairs Sabrina placed her hand gently over her heart and felt as it furiously struck against her chest. The initial climb seemed scary at first but now that she had conquered it she found it was far easier than when she was crawling down into the unknown. Had she been a cockier person she probably would have jumped for joy but as anybody knew she wasn't exactly one to embrace her sense of pride, let alone feel that she really had any. As her heart began to decelerate she shined the light about the darkness and in the corner spotted what looked to be the next flight of stairs. Tiptoeing her away across the debris coated floor it turned out to be another easy success as she reached the base of the staircases with so much as a a slight issue. As she began her climb upwards her mind began to consider how much she might have overestimated the difficulty of her task when suddenly her feet began to wobble at the shaking of the floor.

Another quake of sorts was beginning to travel through the region.

She failed to catch herself in time and firmly planted her right knee straight into the rough edge of the next step before her. A faint cry of pain escaped her lips as she felt it tear through her skin but it at least provided the silver lining of allowing her the chance to catch herself atop the stairs. She grasped her knee and huddled close to herself as the vibration momentarily passed through the cavern. When the ground stabilized once more she paused momentarily before straightening herself out and limping the rest of the way up the steps, she could stop and attempt to examine her newest injury once she was on safer footing.

At the top of the stairs she collapsed against the wall and shined the light down upon her dress. A tear was visible in the location of where she had taken the blow and a trace amount of blood appeared to be seeping through already, darkening the shade of the fabric. She dropped the light at her side and applied pressure to the region with both her hands.

"No… no… not now… Not yet…" She whimpered.

Noticeably, she didn't feel the need to flinch as she felt up the region around the cut and pulled up the bottom of her dress slightly to get a better look. It was hard to see but along the skin of her knee she could faintly make out a thin line of red. It was clearly bigger than your average cut but not nearly close enough to the massive gash she had feared. As she extended her leg back out and let her dress slide back down she gazed down at the void at the base of the stairs.

"Mark…?" She called down it.

There was no reply.

"M-Mark!...?" She called again.

When he failed to return her second cry she briefly considered returning to him to ensure that the latest quake hadn't disrupted him in anyway but just as quickly shook away said thoughts. He had tasked her with finding help and heading back down for potentially nothing would only delay her effort. With his injuries likely growing worse by the minute she couldn't afford to waste any time. Slowly, and in slight pain from her latest wound, she rose up to her feet. She stepped delicately with her right foot and, when she found it wouldn't be giving out any time soon, returned her focus back to her mission. Locating the stairs along the upper wall of the cavern she repeated the sequence of carefully shuffling over to it and climbing them up.

With each step Sabrina could once again feel the confidence within herself growing as she managed to repeat the same routine over the course of the next handful of floors without delay. The farther up she climbed the less damaged there appeared to be in regards to the flooring of the mine and with less risk of falling it was easier to traverse. Even through her struggling vision she could see as the light of salvation from above grew larger and larger in unison with her self-esteem. Maybe this task was as easy as she believed it to be when Mark had managed to hype her up. Maybe she really could do it.

Maybe, she spoke to soon.

With another floor conquered and the next set of stairs to above located just across the room Sabrina prepared to take her first step when suddenly it felt as though the ground had decided to thrust her forward. The flashlight flew straight out of her hand and rolled along the floor before her as another tremor violently shook the entire mine. She could hear as the rocky surface below her began to moan out in agony and as fast as she could back up towards the wall behind her. Managing to catch her breath for only a second she remembered that without the flashlight she would be trapped in the darkness and sprang from her spot to try and retrieve it. The force of the quake, however, knocked her back down onto her belly and she was forced to hopelessly watched as the ground appeared to literally swallow the flashlight whole. The floor within the center of the room opened right up and amongst the sounds of rocks and debris erupting everywhere she could hear the faint sound of the flashlight breaking to pieces down below.

"HELP!" She cried out as she curled up into a ball and covered her ears. "MARK! HELP!"

Within seconds she could hear and feel as the tremor died down once more, trapping her in complete darkness. Uncovering her ears she opened her eyes and saw that there was virtually no difference in scenery.

Nothingness, just absolute nothingness, much like when she had first awoken.

Was this the forces of nature's way of punishing her for being confident? Did something out there feel as though she shouldn't succeed? Maybe there were just some things she wasn't meant to overcome.

It certainly felt that way to her at least.

"I… I'm sorry Mark…" She whimpered as wrapped her arms around her legs and curled back up. "I… I'm so sorry…"

Tears began to cascade down her cheek and into the dirt beside her head.

"I'm sorry… I… I thought I could do it…" She cried. "I'm sorry…"

The sound of her sobbing slowly began to fill the mine but was soon overtaken by another sound, one that allowed her to hold onto her last remaining shred of hope.

"Sabrina?" A familiar sound voice called out to her from above. "Sabrina is that you?"

"C-C-Chelsea?" She asked.

A light began to flicker in the direction of where she had previous located the stairs heading upwards.

"Sabrina, it is you! Elliot, I found her! She's down here!" She heard Chelsea exclaim.

Her eyes focused on the steadying light and felt that all but familiar gush of relief when a familiar red headband wearing blob appeared from above.

"Sabrina, thank the Goddess you're alive!" Chelsea cried with relief as she stood atop the stairs.

The fuzzy silhouette of a pink haired Elliot soon appeared beside her.

"There you are! Hang on, we're gonna get you out of here!" He shouted.

Though bruised from her recent toss to the floor Sabrina still had the strength to get herself off the ground and up to her feet. It appeared to be all that she had left though as she was barely able to stagger towards the duo as they rushed as fast as they could around the newly formed crater and straight to her side. Without a single sound Sabrina stumbled up to Chelsea and collapsed into her arms, her warm embrace filling her heart with comfort.

"Oh thank Goddess we were able to find you." She whispered gently into her ear. "We've all been so worried about you, your father especially… are you hurt? What am I saying of course you are."

Sabrina remained silent and simply focused on her breathing. Her chest gently rose and fell against Chelsea's. It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders and all she wished to do now was relax. She felt tired, so tired.

"Chelsea…?"

"Please…" She whispered softly as the weight of her eyelids became too much for her to carry and they began to quietly shut. "Please…"

"…"

"Help…

"…"

"Help… Mark…"

* * *

Through the open window the sound of a lively bird's chirp began to fill the room. Slowly, Sabrina's eyes gracefully fluttered open to greet the light of the morning sun though due to her recent lack of exposure it nearly blinded her, at least more so than normal. She raised her hand to partially obstruct the light and glanced over at what looked to be a nightstand situated beside her bed. Her eyes squinted as she reached over and felt what appeared to be a pair of glasses for her and carefully placed them on. They must have been one of her spares as they fit her perfectly and for the first time in what felt like ages she could see the world around her perfectly. With her enhanced perspective she could now clearly see that the room she found herself in was not her own but something in the air at least told her that she was still on the island.

Maybe it was how fresh it felt, especially compared to the mines.

Gazing down at herself it appeared as though at some point she had been changed into her nightwear and a cast had been placed around her sore wrist. What felt like a medical tape appeared to be wrapped around her kneecap as well.

Just then the door across from the foot of her bed opened and Doctor Trent appeared.

"Ah, Sabrina, you're finally awake." He greeted.

"Doctor Trent." She greeted back with a slight bow. "Where… where am I."

"The west town inn." He answered back promptly as he retrieved a clipboard from the table besides the door. "We're using it as a hospital of sorts for the island. As I'm sure you've noticed there's been a series of tremors through the region and some islanders have found themselves unlucky enough to get injured as a result."

"I… I didn't worry anyone did I…?" She asked in a guilty manner. "Or distract from helping someone else did I?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. I mean, sure we were all plenty concerned with your and Mark's whereabouts but no one up here on the surface was in critical enough condition that sacrifices had to be made."

Suddenly she remembered Mark. Was he able to make it out in one piece?

Before she could even begin to ask the sound of her father on the verge of what seemed like a panic attack filled her ears.

"What's going on in there?" He shouted as he barged into the room. "I heard talking, is Sabrina alright?"

Trent turned and faced him. "Regis, yes, Sabrina seems as fine as ever. Minus the slight injuries I'd say she's doing alright." He turned back to her looking for an answer.

She glanced down at her wrist and back at him. "Yes… I'm fine."

Regis breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he approached the bedside. "Oh Sabrina, thank the goddess. I… I was so worried."

She looked away, emanating a sense of guilt throughout the room. "I'm sorry father… I… I didn't mean to…"

Now at her side Regis pulled her into his chest and embraced her. She could faintly hear as he tried his hardest to withhold tears. "When I came home I thought you had just went out to the beach… then the tremors happened and no one could find you… I… I was just so worried… I thought I was going to lose you just like…"

She hugged him as tight as she could to constrict his words. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have left… I… I should have just stayed home… I was stupid… so stupid…"

He pulled away from her and stared into her eyes. "What were you even doing down there… in the mine? You've never ventured out that far before."

Her sense of guilt seemed hell-bent on crushing her at that point as she hung her head down. "I… I was just… your birthday was coming up and… and you've always talked about how you wanted to get another pink diamond… like… like the one you first got mother… and… and… I just wanted to show you that I wasn't a... a coward… But I was an idiot… I should have just stayed home… like always… I shouldn't have left like that..."

When she heard her father sniffle she looked up at him and saw that he had tears in his eyes, just like her, as he pulled her in for another hug. "Oh Sabrina… I don't need you to prove yourself to me… I know you're a brave girl… You just being with me is all I need to see it… I know you have it in you…"

As she held him she remembered how Mark had told her those near exact words down in the mines. Then she remembered how she still had no clue as to his condition.

She pulled away from him and focused her attention on Trent who was still situated in the back of the room, flipping through his clipboard.

"Mark… Where's Mark?" She asked.

"He's… well, he's certainly doing better than before." Trent answered bluntly.

Sabrina gripped the sheets atop her chest and clutched them tightly. "He's... he's going to be alright... right...?"

Trent gave a gently smile. "Of course he will. He was in bad shape when we managed to get him out of the mines but it looks like he's going to pull through, but..." His eyes bounced over to Regis who out of Sabrina's view shook his head. "A… good recovery seems in likely."

"Where is he?" She asked.

"He's just down the hallway in his own room." He replied.

"Can… can I see him?" She asked.

"Sabrina, surely that can wait?" Regis asked as he turned back to her. "You need your rest. You can see him once you're feeling much better."

"Please, I'd…" She paused for a moment. Was she, in some sense, about to argue against her dad? "I'd like to see him. Now."

Regis seemed to also take notice of what could be classified as a strange shift in behavior from her. There was something different about the way she spoke, like she wouldn't take no for an answer so easily.

"But…" He examined her again momentarily before resuming. "Well… if you insist. But I'd really advice for you to rest up a bit more first."

Slowly she began to smile. "I… I think I'll be fine."

Gracefully, she glided the sheets of the bed off of her body and placed her bare feet against the smooth wooden surface of the inn floor. It was certainly a welcome change to the cold rocky floors of the mines.

"Would you like me to accompany you?" Regis asked as he slowly followed her out the doorway.

"I'll be fine father." She replied.

He took another pause before nodding. "I guess I'll just be out here in the hall… if you need me."

With a smile she turned her attention back to the door labeled Mark just a few doors down. She gave a brief knock on the door before carefully opening it.

"Mark…?" She whispered.

"Sabrina…?" She heard him wearily groan.

Opening the door up the rest of the way she let out a slight gasp when he came into view. His legs were both completely wrapped up in casts and suspended in slings via a mechanism that had been attached to his bed. New to her, however, was how a bandage was wrapped around his head to keep a small patch over his right eye.

"Mark… what happened?" She asked as she rushed over to his side.

"Heh, I guess that brief tremor we both experienced wasn't the end of it huh?" He chuckled to try and lighten the mood up.

"You're… you're eye…" She uttered while placing her hand around the region in question.

"I… I kind of passed out once you left… too much blood loss and all. I guess at some point something must have hit me cause I don't remember a thing." He answered.

"This… this is all my fault…" She whispered.

"Hey, don't you worry about a thing." He began. "Trent says that my legs are going to heal up just fine in time. The eye… well, they're not too sure about… but I'm not going to let it get me down. I mean, we're alive aren't we?"

She began to slowly smile. "Y-Yeah… I guess you're right."

"And it's all thanks to you." He added.

"M-Me…? No… not at all… they would have found us down there… eventually." She said, remembering what happened the last time she tried to revel in her success.

"But it is!" He argued. "Sabrina I don't know if they told you yet but when they found me they said I was on the bottom floor of the mine."

She looked at him, confused as to where he was going with this.

"They said it didn't look like there was anything else below me, nothing… Sabrina… if you hadn't managed to come down and not only free me but drag me up just that single floor… I might not be here right now… you saved my life."

"R-Really…?" She asked in disbelief.

"I… I owe you my life Sabrina… You pulled through." He replied.

"But… but I couldn't even make it to the light…" She admitted, still trying to undersell herself.

"But you made it far enough that Chelsea and Elliot were able to find you, I mean, who knows how far they were willing to go down. If you didn't try to make your way up they might have given up hope and left us down there. You saved us Sabrina, plain and simple." He explained.

"I… I really did... didn't I?" She asked, that sense of confidence returning to her.

Suddenly a knock came from the doorway and she turned around to find her father.

"Is everything alright in here?" He asked while taking a step forward.

"Yes, everything's fine father." She answered.

He smiled. "That's good to hear." He said before turning his attention toward Mark. "Mark, I'd... I'd like to thank you, I'm sure you kept Sabrina safe as best you could while you two were trapped in the mines."

Mark chuckled yet again. "It was quite the opposite down there actually. It was Sabrina who managed to save the day."

His eyes widened in surprise. "W-What?"

Mark opened his mouth to speak but Sabrina managed to surprise even him by speaking up.

"It… it's true…" She began. "Mark was the one in danger and… and he helped me understand that I had what it takes to save us both…"

Regis looked back at Mark as if to ask if this was true to which he gave a sincere nod. This wasn't some elaborate ploy to try and boost her confidence. She had indeed managed to save the day.

Her father's jaw had nearly dropped. "Sabrina, I… When Chelsea told me that they finally found you I… well I don't know what I thought… I just was relieved to hear you were okay and just assumed that..."

"It's okay… I understand. I know that I could be somewhat of a… coward… but… things can be… things _are_ different know… I don't have to be afraid… not if I don't want to be… I know that now..." She explained. "I... I can't believe it took searching for some stupid rare gem to find that out… I should've known that all this time..."

Regis dipped his hand into his pockets and laughed quietly. "You know Sabrina, I've gone over with you many times how those gems are formed… All it takes is a bit of pressure on something that seems insignificant and the next thing you know you're left with a beautiful diamond…"

A smile formed on her face as his words reached her heart. It seems she had managed to get him that diamond for his birthday all along. Best of all, it was a gift for her as well.

A new, braver, more independent Sabrina.

Another grunt of pain came from Mark, bringing her attention back to him.

"Are you alright?" She asked as she approached him once again.

"Yeah… I'll be fine…" He answered. "Just a bit of a headache…" He took a brief pause, slowly considering his next words. "You know, I'm going to be cooped up in this room for quite some time… think you might be able to keep me company... you know, just till I get better…?"

She looked at Regis who offered her a smile and a nod before she looked back at Mark and gave him the same gesture.

On the other hand, maybe she won't have to be _that_ independent.

* * *

 _A/N: I feel like this chapter might have been better off split into two but I wasn't sure where to do it without making it too overly dramatic, plus I was kind of committed to the whole 3 chapter idea. Many thanks again to my few reviewers and anyone else who read and enjoyed this story._


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